Unlike Japanese given names, Japanese surnames have fixed characters, so their meanings are reliable. The overwhelming majority are toponymic — they describe a place or a feature of the landscape where a family lived: rice fields (Tanaka, “central rice field”; Yamada, “mountain rice field”), mountains (Yamamoto, “base of the mountain”), trees (Kobayashi, “small forest”; Matsumoto, “base of the pine”) and bridges or crossings (Takahashi, Watanabe).

A recent history

Most ordinary Japanese families only adopted surnames in 1875, during the Meiji era, when they became compulsory — which is why so many are drawn simply from the local landscape. There are well over 100,000 Japanese surnames, far more than in most countries.

The wisteria connection

Several of the most common surnames end in -tō (藤, “wisteria”) — Sato, Ito, Kato — a trace of the powerful medieval Fujiwara clan, whose name also contains that character.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common Japanese surname?

Sato (u4f50u85e4) is generally the most common, followed by Suzuki and Takahashi.

Do Japanese surnames have meanings?

Yes u2014 unlike given names, Japanese surnames have fixed characters, and most describe a place or landscape feature such as a rice field, mountain or bridge.

Why do so many Japanese surnames refer to nature?

Most families adopted surnames only in 1875, and commonly took them from the local landscape u2014 fields, mountains, forests and rivers.

Does the surname come first in Japan?

Yes. In Japanese the family name comes first, followed by the given name.

All last names A–Z